Family - Value - Space - book launch and conference
We presented “Family – Value – Space”, a volume published in cooperation between KINCS and the Századvég Foundation, which explores attitudes towards family, family roles, marriage, childbearing and religiosity in 16 studies.
Tünde Fűrész stressed that the Századvég survey of 60,000 people, which forms the basis of the book, confirms that Hungarians are a family-friendly and pro-family nation. According to the President of the Mária Kopp Institute for Demography and Families (KINCS), although there are many influences that are destroying family values, the family remains the most fundamental value in the lives of Hungarians, and strengthening it is a common task. The institute of marriage is a widely accepted value and young people still think in terms of a two-child family model.
The State Secretary for Families said that the three main pillars of Hungarian family policy are home creation, financial security and work-life balance. And from this year onwards, greater emphasis will be placed on the physical, mental and spiritual health of families, which is essential for all the children wished for be born and to grow up in a happy family. Ágnes Hornung welcomed the strong interest in the CSOK Plus scheme, which will be launched on 1 January, which is a great opportunity for couples planning to have children.
Miklós Panyi, Minister of State for Parliamentary and Strategic Affairs and Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, pointed out that the Bokros package and the family support system, which was dismantled after 2002, resulted in 300,000 fewer babies being born, which could lead to demographic and labor market imbalances. But over the past 14 years, Hungary has built the strongest and most sophisticated family support system in Europe, which also responds to social and economic challenges.
In a round table discussion on the protection of family values, Miklós Soltész, Secretary for Church and Minority relations of the Prime Minister's Office thanked the Commission for its work in support of families, which has resulted in fantastic opportunities for Hungarian families. The State Secretary drew attention to the need to make family life attractive to young people.
Károly Szita, Mayor of Kaposvár, stressed that settlements are strong only if families are strong. We must work as a community, and families are the foundation of this community. The President of the Association of Cities with County Rights added that opinions that question the family and traditional values should not be shrugged off, but should be taken up in debates and our opinions should be firmly defended.
Katalin Kardosné Gyurkó recalled that before 2010, families were left to fend for themselves, and having children was a risk of poverty. The president of the National Association of Large Families (NOE) said that travel discounts, free textbooks, free and subsidised child catering and the introduction of family tax allowances were a huge help for large families.
At the roundtable discussion on the territorial dimensions of family protection, Áron Hidvégi, Vice Chairmen and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Századvég Foundation, Miklós Gyorgyovich, Associate Director of the Research Center at the Századvég Foundation, Prof. Dr. Ágnes Engler, Head of the Centre for Education Sciences of KINCS and Dr. András Pári, Head of Research at KINCS shared their thoughts. The discussion, moderated by Kinga Kenyeres, Chief Executive Officer of Századvég Foundation, also discussed the fact that there are many points of agreement among European citizens that are not seen among the European political elite. These include the peace narrative, the preservation of Europe's Christian culture and the importance of the family. The family is therefore a topic on which the European public agrees with Hungarians.
